Posted by admin on Nov 1, 2010 in |
As part of our ongoing study to screen local herbs for their possible usefulness as anti-infectives, we assessed extracts from 16 medicinal plants for their antibacterial properties and their influence on the activity of amoxicillin. The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of amoxicillin against Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Salmonella typhi were determined alone and in the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of the extracts by the Kirby–Bauer agar diffusion method of antibacterial assay. Eleven out of 18 extracts exhibited antibacterial activity with MIC values below 20 mg/ml against at least one of the test bacteria employed. Amoxicillin activity against Staph. aureus was significantly (p<0.05) enhanced by the presence of sub-inhibitory concentrations of 5 extracts (Mallotus oppositifolius, Bidens pilosa, Morinda lucida, Croton membranaceus and Jatropha curcas). B. subtilis also became significantly susceptible to amoxicillin in the presence of 10 μg/ml extracts of B. pilosa, Hibiscus sabdariffa, M. oppositifolius, Momordica charantia, Anoclesta nobilis, Cryptolepis sanguinolenta and Moringa oleifera. Spathodia campanulata, M. lucida, M. oleifera and J. curcas leaf...
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Posted by admin on Nov 1, 2010 in |
The herbal single drug Aftimoon is botanically called as Cuscuta reflexa Roxb. (whole plant). In the recent past tremendous attempts are being made to evaluate the scientific standards for Traditional System of Medicine, particularly in Unani System of Medicine. The Physician of Unani System of Medicine has considered this drug as one of the important single drugs and this drug has been used extensively in the preparation of Unani Compound Formulations such as Itrifal-e-Aftimoon, Itrifal-e-Ustukhudus, Itrifal-e-Deedan, Itrifal-e-Ghudadi, Itrifal-e-Mushil, Majoon-e-Ushba and Sufoof-e-Chobchini etc., This drug is therapeutically useful in the treatment of insanity, melancholia, melanous, epilepsy, numpness, paralysis, facial palsy, arthritis, worm infestation, jaundice and in the weakness of liver, stomach and spleen. As per the action the drug is very effective in cathartic to black bile and phlegm, demulcent, resolvent, carminative and antihelmintic. In order to authenticate and to develop its pharmacopoeial standards WHO guidelines were followed provided by CCRUM, New Delhi. For the Evaluation of Pharmacopoeial standards Pharmacognostical and Phyto-chemical parameters were adopted. The Thin Layer Chromatographic studies...
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Posted by admin on Nov 1, 2010 in |
The study was undertaken to investigate the hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective effects of the different fractions (Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and chloroform) of ethanolic extract of immature leaves of Mangifera indica. The different fractions of extract were administered intraperitonially as a single dose of 150 mg/kg body weight to alloxan induced diabetic rats and found to reduce blood lipid level (Total cholesterol and Triglycerides) significantly (p<0.05). The plant fractions also exhibited correction of altered biochemical parameters viz., SGOT and SGPT levels in diabetic rats. The effects of plant extracts were compared with standard drug metformin. The phytochemical screening tests indicated that the different constituents such as saponins, tannins, Triterpenes, alkaloids and flavonoids etc. were present in the plant which has hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective properties. Thus, this study indicates that various fractions (Petroleum ether, ethyl acetate and chloroform) of the ethanolic extract of immature leaves of Mangifera indica have favorable effect in hypolipidemic and hepatoprotective...
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Posted by admin on Nov 1, 2010 in |
Myrica esculenta (Myricaceae), commonly known as ‘Katphala’, is an evergreen, sun-temperate tree. Phytochemical constituents reported in the bark are tannins mainly epigallocatechin-3-o-gallate, gallic acid, myricanone, myricanol and a yellow dye. The edible portion of the fruit is its pulp which contains reducing sugars, tannins and vit C. Myrica esculenta (M. esculenta) is known traditionally in Ayurveda to possess various medicinal activities. In the present study antihelmintic activity of aqueous ethanolic extract of the bark of myrica esculenta was evaluated on adult Indian earthworm Pheritima posthuma, which resembles anatomically and physiologically with the intestinal round worm parasite of human being using piperazine citrate as reference standard. The extract was prepared using soxhlet apparatus and concentrated. This extract was used for the evaluation of antihelmintic activity, which caused the death of the worms at the tested dose level and it was found to be more potent than the reference control piperazine citrate. Aqueous ethanolic extract at the concentration of 12.5 mg/ml showed both paralysis and death in 20.11 & 41.25 min...
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Posted by admin on Nov 1, 2010 in |
A study was undertaken to evaluate the antioxidant potential of two species of Tinospora viz Tinospora cordifolia and Tinospora sinensis on a comparative basis. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of both the species were subjected to in vitro antioxidant activity screening models such as DPPH, ABTS, nitric oxide and superoxide radical scavenging activity, inhibition of lipid peroxidation, reduction of ferric ions and total antioxidant capacity. Ascorbic acid was used as the standard. In all the models studied, both the plants showed nearly equal activities thereby justifying the claims of Tinospora sinensis which has not been studied extensively, and augmenting it into the present day system of...
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